SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
In videos targeting five GOP senators, Sister Simone Campbell called on the lawmakers to vote 'no' on all efforts to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act. (Photo: NETWORK Lobby/Screenshot)
More Than 7,000 Nuns to GOP: Your Attack on People's Healthcare 'Simply Immoral'
Catholic sisters launch video campaign urging Republican senators to 'stop this destruction of healthcare in our nation'
Jul 27, 2017
As Senate Republicans consider a "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act--and with a vote expected as early as Thursday night--Catholic nuns who vocally opposed Trumpcare have released a new video series calling on five crucial Republican senators to "stop this destruction of healthcare in our nation."
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals."
--Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Lobby
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals," said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
Earlier this week, 7,150 Catholic nuns with NETWORK Lobby signed a letter that urged senators to reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or Trumpcare, which they called "simply immoral" and "the most harmful legislation for American families in our lifetimes." The letter, which was signed by Catholic sisters from every state and Washington, D.C., said, "We fought for the expansion of coverage in the Affordable Care Act because we saw the life-giving value of crucial healthcare programs such as Medicaid."
Late Tuesday night--after the GOP pushed through a party-line procedural vote to open debate--the Senate rejected Trumpcare, with nine Republicans joining the Democrats to kill the bill. A proposal to partially repeal the ACA failed on Wednesday. The fight is far from over, though, with reports on Thursday that Senate Republicans are finalizing their so-called "skinny repeal," which would cause millions of people to lose coverage and allow deep cuts to Medicaid.
In a version of the letter circulated Thursday, the nuns acknowledge recent developments in the Senate, and condemn continued efforts to repeal and/or replace Obamacare:
Rather than continuing to negotiate partisan legislation that would cause tens of millions of Americans to lose access to health coverage, Congress should seek bipartisan solutions to expand quality, affordable coverage. As Catholic Sisters, we stand by our belief that health is a universal right and urge Senators to vote no on the motion to proceed for any bill that would repeal the ACA and cut Medicaid.
The nuns' new video campaign targets five Republicans who have been on the fence about repeal and replace efforts: Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), and Dean Heller (Nev.). In each video, Sister Campbell, who authored the letter, stands beside a "Medicaid is a moral issue" poster and shares anecdotes from the lawmakers' states.
"Be your most compassionate, scientific self, and vote 'no,' and then be the leader we need to move us forward as a nation so that all can get the care they deserve--but first, vote 'no' on these bills," Sister Campbell says in the video to Sen. Cassidy.
Watch Sister Campbell read the letter opposing Trumpcare below:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As Senate Republicans consider a "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act--and with a vote expected as early as Thursday night--Catholic nuns who vocally opposed Trumpcare have released a new video series calling on five crucial Republican senators to "stop this destruction of healthcare in our nation."
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals."
--Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Lobby
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals," said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
Earlier this week, 7,150 Catholic nuns with NETWORK Lobby signed a letter that urged senators to reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or Trumpcare, which they called "simply immoral" and "the most harmful legislation for American families in our lifetimes." The letter, which was signed by Catholic sisters from every state and Washington, D.C., said, "We fought for the expansion of coverage in the Affordable Care Act because we saw the life-giving value of crucial healthcare programs such as Medicaid."
Late Tuesday night--after the GOP pushed through a party-line procedural vote to open debate--the Senate rejected Trumpcare, with nine Republicans joining the Democrats to kill the bill. A proposal to partially repeal the ACA failed on Wednesday. The fight is far from over, though, with reports on Thursday that Senate Republicans are finalizing their so-called "skinny repeal," which would cause millions of people to lose coverage and allow deep cuts to Medicaid.
In a version of the letter circulated Thursday, the nuns acknowledge recent developments in the Senate, and condemn continued efforts to repeal and/or replace Obamacare:
Rather than continuing to negotiate partisan legislation that would cause tens of millions of Americans to lose access to health coverage, Congress should seek bipartisan solutions to expand quality, affordable coverage. As Catholic Sisters, we stand by our belief that health is a universal right and urge Senators to vote no on the motion to proceed for any bill that would repeal the ACA and cut Medicaid.
The nuns' new video campaign targets five Republicans who have been on the fence about repeal and replace efforts: Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), and Dean Heller (Nev.). In each video, Sister Campbell, who authored the letter, stands beside a "Medicaid is a moral issue" poster and shares anecdotes from the lawmakers' states.
"Be your most compassionate, scientific self, and vote 'no,' and then be the leader we need to move us forward as a nation so that all can get the care they deserve--but first, vote 'no' on these bills," Sister Campbell says in the video to Sen. Cassidy.
Watch Sister Campbell read the letter opposing Trumpcare below:
As Senate Republicans consider a "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act--and with a vote expected as early as Thursday night--Catholic nuns who vocally opposed Trumpcare have released a new video series calling on five crucial Republican senators to "stop this destruction of healthcare in our nation."
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals."
--Sister Simone Campbell, NETWORK Lobby
"The mission of Catholic Sisters has always been to serve our nation's most vulnerable people. As such, we are united in opposition to the current Republican healthcare proposals," said Sister Simone Campbell, the executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice.
Earlier this week, 7,150 Catholic nuns with NETWORK Lobby signed a letter that urged senators to reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act, or Trumpcare, which they called "simply immoral" and "the most harmful legislation for American families in our lifetimes." The letter, which was signed by Catholic sisters from every state and Washington, D.C., said, "We fought for the expansion of coverage in the Affordable Care Act because we saw the life-giving value of crucial healthcare programs such as Medicaid."
Late Tuesday night--after the GOP pushed through a party-line procedural vote to open debate--the Senate rejected Trumpcare, with nine Republicans joining the Democrats to kill the bill. A proposal to partially repeal the ACA failed on Wednesday. The fight is far from over, though, with reports on Thursday that Senate Republicans are finalizing their so-called "skinny repeal," which would cause millions of people to lose coverage and allow deep cuts to Medicaid.
In a version of the letter circulated Thursday, the nuns acknowledge recent developments in the Senate, and condemn continued efforts to repeal and/or replace Obamacare:
Rather than continuing to negotiate partisan legislation that would cause tens of millions of Americans to lose access to health coverage, Congress should seek bipartisan solutions to expand quality, affordable coverage. As Catholic Sisters, we stand by our belief that health is a universal right and urge Senators to vote no on the motion to proceed for any bill that would repeal the ACA and cut Medicaid.
The nuns' new video campaign targets five Republicans who have been on the fence about repeal and replace efforts: Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), and Dean Heller (Nev.). In each video, Sister Campbell, who authored the letter, stands beside a "Medicaid is a moral issue" poster and shares anecdotes from the lawmakers' states.
"Be your most compassionate, scientific self, and vote 'no,' and then be the leader we need to move us forward as a nation so that all can get the care they deserve--but first, vote 'no' on these bills," Sister Campbell says in the video to Sen. Cassidy.
Watch Sister Campbell read the letter opposing Trumpcare below:
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.